China Trip Report 2014

[DisFan10]

Amazing photos, Cousin Orville, especially the night-time shots on the Bund!

I'm glad you enjoyed "M on the Bund" as much as Capital M. I agree with your thoughts that AbD needs to select better restaurants in Beijing.

The Peninsula Shanghai looks beautiful and very high-tech. Since AbD seems to be favoring the Peninsula and Shangri-La brands, it would be nice if they chose this new Shangri-La at the Shard in London for their London & Paris trip. The view from the rooms look amazing.

http://www.shangri-la.com/london/shangrila/

 

[CA2FL]

...We checked into the Peninsula which has the ideal spot on the Bund. You can walk down the Bund or cross the street and walk along the waterfront. The hotel is beautiful and is perhaps the nicest hotel I've stayed in. It's evokes a 1930s Art Deco, European charm. When we arrived I believe high tea was being served in the lobby. Everyone working there is so nice, and the service standards are so high. We were taken to a conference room on the top floor where we were given a quick PowerPoint presentation of how to work the electronics in the room from the mood lighting, to the curtains, to the lady's nail dryer to the valet box, to the free international call VOIP button.... The rooms were beautiful. Since it was just Gavin and me we were given a single room. Families with more than two I think had a designating connecting rooms/suites. Not sure. Our room was lovely complete with a gorgeous bathroom and dressing room. I'm ready to redecorate my bathroom. Haha!

Best hotel of the tour! (Ritz Carlton in Chengdu is #2) We love the "Spa Mode" in the bathroom...lights dim, mood music on. When we stayed there, Vladimir Putin was also staying and there was A LOT of extra security. We had to go through metal detectors each time we re-entered the hotel and they had bomb sniffing dog teams sniff through our rooms. It added a lot of extra excitement to our stay. FYI - We spoke with one of the managers there who was brought in to open the hotel from Hong Kong. He told us the Beijing Peninsula will be going through a renovation to modernize and also increase the size of the rooms to become more like the Shanghai version.

 

[sayhello]

I agree. We were advised by friends and our doctor to bring masks but there wasn't a day anywhere near having to use them. I used to live in Southern California and none of our days were near the amount of pollution we had in SoCal back in the late 80's. I certainly have seen photos of terrible smog in China so I guess it really depends on time of year. We were lucky that it would rain late night and early morning before/after we were touring around so it probably helped clear the air.

That's good to know! I grew up in Southern California, and was there in the late 80's. Not pretty, but I survived it

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

I think these things are worse when you're thinking about them beforehand, but of course everyone's different. The pollution is the most unique thing to china, because it is worse than most anywhere else and it's hard to know what to expect. I guess I was expecting pea soup, but it wasn't near that bad. Maybe during other times of the year. I brought 3M masks with me, and ended up tossing them to make room for souvenirs. Certainly the trip is well worth the effort.

Thanks, Kevin! That really is good to know. It's solidly on my list now for 2016. !!!

OMG, the Penninsula Hotel looks AMAZING!!!! How beautiful is that room! The whole area is phenomenal. Great photos!

Yep, definitely on the list for 2016!

Sayhello

 

[pxlbarrel]

The Shanghai Peninsula was my favourite hotel. I knew I was going to like it before we got to the room because we had to have a tutorial in the hotel boardroom on how to use the room.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Thanks! All of that is good to hear! What airline did you fly to China? What route did they take?

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Cousin Orville!

Sayhello

We took united through Chicago. It flew west over the pacific. I spoke with someone who connected through Detroit and they went East over the Atlantic. I thought that was interesting since the cities are so close to one another.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Amazing photos, Cousin Orville, especially the night-time shots on the Bund!

I'm glad you enjoyed "M on the Bund" as much as Capital M. I agree with your thoughts that AbD needs to select better restaurants in Beijing.

The Peninsula Shanghai looks beautiful and very high-tech. Since AbD seems to be favoring the Peninsula and Shangri-La brands, it would be nice if they chose this new Shangri-La at the Shard in London for their London & Paris trip. The view from the rooms look amazing.

http://www.shangri-la.com/london/shangrila/

ABD's choices of hotels seems to be improving bit by bit. I like the Peninsula group better than the Shangri La group but both are great. There's also a Peninsula I believe in London and Paris, and I know there's a Shangri La in Paris, as I've been there. Those would be quite a step up from the Hotel Napoleon they use in Paris for their Northern France Trip. I think they've done very well with hotel choices for the 2 Asia trips. The Peninsula Shangahai and Ritz Chengdu being the 2 standouts in China and the Metropole in Hanoi (one of the 3 best in all SE Asia) and Sofitel Siem Reap in Cambodia. Plus they're adding the Peninsula Hong Kong which is very impressive. If they can change around their schedule and spend an entire day in Shanghai Disney (just more time in Shanghai), and they are staying at the Peninsula Hong Kong, I would repeat this trip.

Part of me wonders if they are increasing the quality of the hotels for their Asia trips because they're are more affordable in China and SE Asia compared to their European counterparts, or whether there's more financial flexibility with the 12 day trips. But then they added the Ritz in Vienna on their new trip so maybe they're increasing the quality in Europe too. Right or wrong, I have friends who are not into ABD that would probably give it a serious look if they stayed in top hotels in the major European cities they hit.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Best hotel of the tour! (Ritz Carlton in Chengdu is #2) We love the "Spa Mode" in the bathroom...lights dim, mood music on. When we stayed there, Vladimir Putin was also staying and there was A LOT of extra security. We had to go through metal detectors each time we re-entered the hotel and they had bomb sniffing dog teams sniff through our rooms. It added a lot of extra excitement to our stay. FYI - We spoke with one of the managers there who was brought in to open the hotel from Hong Kong. He told us the Beijing Peninsula will be going through a renovation to modernize and also increase the size of the rooms to become more like the Shanghai version.

I think had heard that about Putin in Chengdu. That was real recent, right? Natalie Portman was at our hotel in Shanghai. Sadly did not see her.

 

[DisFan10]

I agree with your assessment of the hotels in China and SE Asia. Those are all great hotels. We wanted to stay longer at the Metropole Hanoi and the Sofitel in Siem Reap! We wouldn't mind doing the China AbD again.

However, it looks like AbD has taken 2 steps forward but one step back with their hotel selections in China. While they've added the iconic Peninsula Hong Kong, they've dropped the Peninsula Beijing for the Regent. Not sure why, but it's a bit disappointing...

ABD's choices of hotels seems to be improving bit by bit. I like the Peninsula group better than the Shangri La group but both are great. There's also a Peninsula I believe in London and Paris, and I know there's a Shangri La in Paris, as I've been there. Those would be quite a step up from the Hotel Napoleon they use in Paris for their Northern France Trip. I think they've done very well with hotel choices for the 2 Asia trips. The Peninsula Shangahai and Ritz Chengdu being the 2 standouts in China and the Metropole in Hanoi (one of the 3 best in all SE Asia) and Sofitel Siem Reap in Cambodia. Plus they're adding the Peninsula Hong Kong which is very impressive. If they can change around their schedule and spend an entire day in Shanghai Disney (just more time in Shanghai), and they are staying at the Peninsula Hong Kong, I would repeat this trip.

Part of me wonders if they are increasing the quality of the hotels for their Asia trips because they're are more affordable in China and SE Asia compared to their European counterparts, or whether there's more financial flexibility with the 12 day trips. But then they added the Ritz in Vienna on their new trip so maybe they're increasing the quality in Europe too. Right or wrong, I have friends who are not into ABD that would probably give it a serious look if they stayed in top hotels in the major European cities they hit.

 

[Cousin Orville]

I agree with your assessment of the hotels in China and SE Asia. Those are all great hotels. We wanted to stay longer at the Metropole Hanoi and the Sofitel in Siem Reap! We wouldn't mind doing the China AbD again.

However, it looks like AbD has taken 2 steps forward but one step back with their hotel selections in China. While they've added the iconic Peninsula Hong Kong, they've dropped the Peninsula Beijing for the Regent. Not sure why, but it's a bit disappointing...

I remember seeing the Regent. It's a block farther down from Wangfujing St. Not too too bad. I believe the Regent had the Aston Martin Dealership on the first floor, so it's certainly not the Motel 6. Haha. If I HAD to trade the Peninsula Beijing for the Regent to get the Peninsula Hong Kong, I think that's a good move. I think if they could get a high end meal in Beijing and lose the hotel catering, I'd give it my absolute blessing . ABD are you listening?

The one downside to losing the Pen Beijing, is losing the option of eating at Huang Ting on your own, which is still my favorite Peking Duck. You could still go there, just slightly less convenient.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Day 9 Shanghai

Breakfast was in the beautiful lobby. Very Downton Abby-esque. Tea served in silver with real tea strainers. The server confirmed I wanted English Breakfast tea. Freshly squeezed orange and pineapple juice. It was awesome. I don't know if I've had freshly squeezed pineapple juice outside of Hawaii. Gavin who is normally a fan of pineapple juice wasn't sure what to make of a couple of floating microscopic black particles from the pineapple so he wouldn't touch it. He was cool with the pulpy orange juice though. We ordered blueberry pancakes off the menu and walked up to select a number of tasty pastries which were all amazing - best breakfast on the trip so far.

We headed out to as a group to Fuxing Park to learn sword tai chi and fan tai chi. Both were a lot of fun. I preferred the swords. Other local retirees were doing other exercises such as yo-yo spinning, ball room dancing, etc.

After the Park we went to Yu Gardens which is a traditional Chinese garden hundreds of years old. They had beautiful Chinese buildings, streams, bridges and rock work. Adjacent to the gardens is old Shanghai. Lots of shopping options. Steven recommended an official govt store for the purchasing of jade and jewelry. He offered to go with me to help pick out a jade piece and interpret with the workers who did not speak English. Steven was great about showing me high quality jade versus other pieces and we found something I liked a lot and he helped me buy it. Afterwards we walked around and grabbed a muffin for Gavin to hold him over until our early dinner tonight. We also went to a store where an artist was drawing peoples names with beautiful colorful little animals and shapes in place of letters. For example a letter G might be a dragon and an I might be a tall Mountain. It was really lovely and relatively inexpensive. I still had some time, so I went back into the govt shop and purchased a larger size piece of art on the top floor. It was beautiful and depicted the Li River painted with water colors on rice paper. Kind of impressionistic. They're shipping it to my house. Here's hoping it makes it (fingers crossed).

We then took a drive under the river to the Pudong. Our guides gave us a spontaneous tour of the 21st century city. We were going to go up to an observatory, but it was a bit overcast. The 2nd tallest building in the world is now in Shangahi technically to be completed next year, but it looked pretty close to completion. Several other major buildings of the world are also in Shanghai. We then headed back to the hotel where Gavin and I relaxed before going over to starbucks on the bund for a change of scenery. Picked up a mug.

We went to an early dinner at Din Tai Fung famous for its Dim Sum. It was awesome and indeed was another excellent meal. ABD is on a roll now. Great, great choice, ABD. I loved everything I ate. After dinner we went to an acrobatic show which aside from seeing the skyline is the top rated activity in Tripadvisor's Sanghai. It was unbelievable. Sort of like Cirque du Soleir but more intimate. Very theatrical with incredible talent. Live music. Each act was truly remarkable. We then made our way back to the hotel. It was a bit late after 10p. I repacked the suitcases quickly (thank goodness for packing cubes), opened the bed side drawer with a plethora of electrical and USB outlets to plug in my phone, pushed a couple bedside buttons to get the lights and curtains set to my pleasing and hit the hay.

 

[Cousin Orville]

We love Stephen!!!!!! He shadowed our group. Say hello for me (the sister of the guy who had to go to every Hooters in China ... he'll know ...) Our group nicknamed him Jackie Chan. He helped me walk down a section of Great Wall that I was a little scared about ... about falling off the edge to my death (I have a thing with heights).

I showed Steven a picture of him from your trip report. He was very surprised I found it. I showed him the website - Disboards.com. He said he knew this website. So, Steven, if you see this - HI! He was funny. He remembered your brother's name, but now I've forgotten. Said he looked like the last emperor, Puyi. He said he was excited to find Hooters in Beijing, but then disappointed to find out they dress more conservatively than their American counterpart. Haha! Too funny.

 

[Cousin Orville]

The new...

and the old.

Fuxing Park (pronounced Fu-shing)

Haha! How great are these guys?!

Now in the Yu Gardens...

Back in old Shanghai for shopping

He's working on my DD's name - Claire. They're really pretty especially in person. I bought 3 for 200rmd ($32) each framed.

The painting I bought. The guy that hopefully is correctly shipping it to me.
Govt store so I should be good.

They were very nice at the store. Gavin was invited to tea while I filled out the shipping information. Good tea.

2nd tallest building in the world. Apparently China is working on the tallest elsewhere. The first kilometer tall building.

I prefer this one back on the Bund

Outside the restaurant

Era, the acrobatic show theater

Sorry no pics allowed inside the Acrobatic show. It's funny, if you try, the usher comes down and shines this huge, brightly illuminated signs that says "no photos". I need one of those for Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

[engle]

Thanks! All of that is good to hear! What airline did you fly to China? What route did they take?

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Cousin Orville!

Sayhello

We flew non stop both ways from Chicago to beijing 13.5 hours and then Hong Kong to Chicago 15 hours....the jet lag going home was worse by far....I think non stop if you can is the way to go...it certainly cuts down on travel time which is already so looooong.

 

[pxlbarrel]

I showed Steven a picture of him from your trip report. He was very surprised I found it. I showed him the website - Disboards.com. He said he knew this website. So, Steven, if you see this - HI! He was funny. He remembered your brother's name, but now I've forgotten. Said he looked like the last emperor, Puyi. He said he was excited to find Hooters in Beijing, but then disappointed to find out they dress more conservatively than their American counterpart. Haha! Too funny.

LoL. Hahaha. I'll tell my brother. You know, take away the fancy hotels and ABD would still be the best because if the guides.

 

[pxlbarrel]

We flew nonstop from Toronto to Beijing (going west). I managed to upgrade our family to executive first on Air Canada. We flew back from HK non stop in economy.

It was worth the upgrade. Lol. The last time I had flown such a long distance, I got sick and it lasted for almost the entire trip (3 weeks) so I was determined that I would arrive rested and healthy. Coming back I didn't care as much. Lol.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

We travel both with ABD as well as another similar company and ABD could not compete with the food choices offered by the competition.......For the high price you pay I do wish ABD would "up" their food quality offerings. I love your review(s) Cousin Orville but I was disappointed that ABD did not speak of the up charge for the Panda holding before the tour. 300+ bucks is a lot for us and I would feel a lot of pressure if our daughter wanted to sit. A thought would be to discuss the offering the night before and break up the group accordingly. But keep up the great work and thanks again.

Disney may not mention the charge for sitting next to a panda, but if you do any research on this topic, the charge is frequently mentioned.

 

[Cousin Orville]

LoL. Hahaha. I'll tell my brother. You know, take away the fancy hotels and ABD would still be the best because if the guides.

Agree 100%. We're actually finishing up my 2 postdays in Hong Kong. We fly out tomorrow morning. Gavin and I have been fighting the ABD guide withdrawal with Steven and Christopher and the rest of the group. You really form an emotional bond with these guys. Sometimes you're a little sad when you leave Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or a Cruise. Usually I think you're sad because you're not ready to leave that PLACE. That can be very real and important, but I think ABD transcends that. When you finish and ABD you're sad because you miss the PEOPLE. That is the X Factor that is difficult to explain to those who haven't taken an ABD.

 

[BrennaM]

Thanks so much for your trip reports! Well I'm kinda torn whether to thank you or curse you!! I don't know which trip I want to do more now....China or Cambodia. Actually I had never even considered the Cambodia one until I saw your report on it.

Have fun on the rest of your trip!! I look forward to reading about it.

 

[hilarys]

Kevin,

Thanks for doing such a great trip report. Like many others, this adventure has risen on my list of things to consider for 2016. So many places to see in the world and not enough vacation time!

Hilary (will be in Prague one week from today!)